Chapter 3
“A-Are you going to keep doing this?”
Harbor asked, sweating profusely. He had clearly been digging a pit with the owner for hours, yet his Winchester stance was remarkably stable. The barrel was firmly fixed without a tremor. Harbor could instinctively tell that the muzzle was aimed right at his forehead.
‘If that hits, I’m dead.’
Forget a bright future—he’d end up in the pit alongside Lux’s group. As Harbor forced a smile and tried to slowly lower his hand, Jaei tilted the barrel slightly, as if ready to shoot at any moment.
“…Well. I’m not sure. Depends on what you do, Mr. Harbor.”
That damned “I don’t know” again! Harbor wanted to shout, then what the hell do you know? But he clenched his teeth and held it in.
“W-Why are you doing this?”
“What were you doing over there?”
“What do you mean? Nothing—”
“What’s going on?”
At that moment, like a savior, Elen appeared. The girl was holding a tray with sandwiches and soup—the owner had sent it separately, thinking Jaei might be late. Seeing Jaei, Elen hesitated and stepped back. Her fear was obvious.
Thud.
Jaei had no choice but to lower the gun. Harbor was highly suspicious, but if he lost the trust of the owner’s family, he’d be sleeping outside starting tonight. He didn’t even know the way to Mollibay, so for now, it was better to step back.
“…It’s nothing. I was practicing shooting, and he suddenly appeared. I thought he was an animal.”
“O-Oh… really?”
Elen glanced at Harbor. As he awkwardly smiled and agreed, she relaxed and sat down.
“Geez, you scared me. Still, I’m glad nothing happened.”
“Yeah. Hah, hah. That could’ve been bad.”
“Mister, Dad’s looking for you, so go back first. And Jaei?”
She took out a small ointment from her pocket and tapped the seat in front of her. A gesture telling him to come closer. Seizing the chance, Harbor hurried off toward the cabin, limping away. Jaei quietly watched him leave before sitting across from her.
“Give me your hand. Mom said you’d get blisters from digging, so I should apply this in advance. You can keep the rest.”
“Thank you.”
It seemed to be some kind of homemade herbal medicine. The sour, pungent smell made Jaei frown, and Elen glanced at him. No matter how she looked at him, he didn’t seem thirty-five. In both appearance and behavior, he seemed about fifteen.
“…Do you see that storage shed next to the inn?”
“Yes, I see it clearly.”
“That’s where guests stay. It’s a bit messy, but it’s better than sleeping outside, so bear with it.”
“Understood. Does Mr. Harbor stay there too?”
“No. He sleeps in the stable. It’s the season when wild animals are hungry. There, all done.”
Jaei examined his neatly treated hands and then picked up his gun. Fortunately, it didn’t feel uncomfortable.
“But it seems there aren’t many people in Turtle Rock.”
“Oh, it’s a village, but the houses are spaced far apart. And everyone just happened to go down the mountain to buy supplies. They’ll probably be back tomorrow or the day after.”
“Is Mr. Harbor like a slave here?”
“A slave? Do we look that rich?”
At Jaei’s question, Elen burst into laughter. To buy a slave, they’d have to save two years’ worth of income. And then there was the cost of feeding and housing them. For a restaurant that only got customers every few days, using slaves was unthinkable.
“Mr. Harbor used to be a customer here. I don’t know the details, but somehow he ended up owing Dad money and stayed. Maybe after five more years, he’ll leave.”
It didn’t look much different from slavery, but apparently it wasn’t. Elen gestured toward the tray.
“When you’re done eating, just return the tray.”
“Understood.”
“And don’t shoot too much. Mom’s already starting to complain about the noise. By the way, my mom’s stronger than my dad.”
Elen giggled as she turned away. A joke? Just as Jaei was about to shoulder the gun again, he suddenly recalled the innkeeper’s wife’s imposing build.
…Better stop before getting scolded.
Instead, Jaei examined behind the rock where Harbor had been hiding. Nothing seemed unusual besides dense bushes. The more he thought about it, the stranger it felt. Harbor hiding there, the gun locking onto his head… Jaei brushed aside the bushes with his foot and paused.
“Hm?”
The ground was dug out—deep enough to reach a wrist.
Did he dig something up? Jaei frowned and sighed. This world really seemed full of incomprehensible people. He took a big bite of his sandwich and looked toward <Elens>.
***
“Haah… cough—”
Harbor gasped heavily, bracing himself against the wall. Jaei’s chilling gaze and the gun aimed at him still lingered in his mind. And more than anything, that suspicion. It made sense—he had awkwardly emerged from behind a rock. But Jaei’s eyes had been certain, as if he already knew what Harbor was thinking.
“Harbor.”
“Gah!”
At the owner’s call, Harbor flinched and turned around. The owner, having apparently washed up, shook his wet hair and passed by him.
“What’s with the panic? Did you do something wrong?”
“N-No, of course not. You called for me.”
“I did. Where were you all day?”
“Ah, well—”
Harbor followed the owner into the inn. Everything was broken and shattered, but it had been roughly cleaned up. More importantly, instead of the stench of blood, a sweet scent of soup filled the air.
“Harbor! Haven’t seen you all day—what were you doing?”
“I’m sorry. I… fell asleep while cleaning the storage.”
“You weren’t there.”
“And I went to the forest to gather firewood.”
“There’s wood debris everywhere and you’re talking about firewood? Seriously! Should I even feed you?”
At the wife’s scolding, Harbor gave an awkward smile. Where had he been? He had checked every neighboring house within 3 kilometers. He knew they had gone to buy supplies—but what if they had returned?
‘They’re not back yet. Since the sun’s setting, that means tomorrow morning at the earliest, or the day after at the latest. Around here, it’s just the owner’s family, me… and that Jaei bastard.’
Harbor’s legs began to tremble uncontrollably. No matter how he thought about it, he’d never get another opportunity like this in his life. With Lux’s corpses and the outlaws combined, there were eight bodies. Even at minimum, wouldn’t that be at least 100 dollars?
‘And they already made a mess fighting earlier. I can just say I was the only one who survived.’
Then he’d sell the bodies, get the money, and finally escape this beggar-like life. He’d never have to see that damn owner again. How perfect was that?
“Sit. Stop shaking your leg.”
The owner gestured while smoking. He seemed to think Harbor had frozen from the wife’s scolding. Harbor carefully sat down, straightening his posture. The cold metal pressing against his waist—the revolver he had hidden behind the rock.
‘They told me to get rid of guns to work here… never thought I’d use it like this.’
“Harbor.”
“Yes?”
The owner tapped the table, drawing his attention. Something seemed off with him today.
“I have something to say.”
“Yes. I’m listening.”
“…After fixing this place, I’m thinking of going to Dallas for a few months. My wife’s family is there.”
“What about <Elens>?”
“I’m thinking of only taking lodging, no meals. What do you think?”
“M-My opinion?”
Harbor’s lips curled up slightly. These people who lived hand-to-mouth were now talking about leaving for months?
‘It’s over 100 dollars. Definitely.’
It meant the three corpses Lux brought alone were worth over 100 dollars. Harbor nodded, trying to remain calm.
“Well… nothing much to say. Have a good trip. I’ll take care of things here.”
“Good. I’d appreciate that.”
As if finished, the owner got up and went outside. It was his habit to check the horses before bed.
“Harbor. Aren’t you eating?”
“I-I am. Thank you for the meal.”
“What’s wrong with you today? Honestly… I’m already exhausted.”
Ignoring the wife’s muttering, Harbor ate his soup. Should he wait until everyone slept? But if he killed the owner first, Jaei would notice. If he shot Jaei, the owner would hear and wake up. What should he do…
‘Right.’
Kill the wife and Elen first when she comes in. Then the owner would rush in. If he claimed Jaei did it, the owner would grab a gun and run. With luck, he could eliminate both without much effort. Even if not, there would surely be a chance to kill them both.
Creak.
At that moment, Elen returned. The sour smell following her suggested she had applied the herbal medicine to Jaei.
“Elen. Let’s air this out. Leave the door open.”
“Yes, Mom. Mister, did Dad scold you a lot?”
“Scold me? Of course not. Ahem.”
Harbor avoided her gaze and continued eating. But all his attention was on the revolver at his waist. Before the owner returned—kill them.
‘If I want to live like a human, I have no choice.’
100 dollars or more. That was all that filled Harbor’s mind. As Elen and her mother stood side by side with their backs turned, Harbor drew his gun.
Click.
He lowered the hammer and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Bang!
“Aaaah!”
“Ah! Aaaah!”
Two gunshots rang out simultaneously. The mother and daughter screamed and collapsed. Harbor hesitated in shock. The distance wasn’t far. He should’ve hit them—so where did the bullets go? And what was that second shot?
Creak.
“…!”
The half-open door moved, and Jaei appeared. Startled, Harbor pulled the trigger again—and at the same time, Jaei fired.
Bang! Bang!
Again, the bullets vanished. Neither Jaei nor Harbor had a single injury. An incomprehensible phenomenon. Harbor rolled his eyes wildly and spotted fragments of bullets scattered on the floor.
‘No way—’
The bullets collided midair? Twice? Jaei set the tray on the table and tilted his gun.
“So that’s what it was. That’s what it meant earlier.”
“W-What are you talking about…?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“You—bastard!”
All that “I don’t know,” and now “you don’t need to know”? As Harbor tried to reload, a long shadow fell behind him. While Jaei held his attention, the owner had approached.
“…!”
Without hesitation, the owner brought the hammer down on Harbor’s head.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
With curses, calling him an ungrateful piece of trash whose corpse would be torn apart and fed to beasts. Harbor’s blood once again soaked the floor of <Elens>, and the owner, breathing heavily, looked at Jaei.
“Why?”
‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’
Well—maybe not shooting him immediately? Jaei had seen Harbor with a gun but hesitated for a moment. Killing him might have caused misunderstanding with the owner’s family. But in the end, he had pulled the trigger—and discovered something unexpected.
‘Bullets can block bullets. It’s not just offense—it works as forward defense too.’
That the auto-aim could track even small, fast-moving targets. The owner wiped sweat with his bloodstained hand and looked at his crying wife and daughter.
“…Thank you.”
And finally, he brought the hammer down on Harbor’s face one last time.
With unresolved rage.
Boom—!